1977 Topps #344 Brian Downing
About Brian Downing
Downing hit .284 in 1977 in 69 games, 61 of them at catcher. He had 4 home runs and 25 RBI. Topps #344 shows him with Chicago. On December 5 of that year the White Sox sent him with Chris Knapp and Dave Frost to the Angels for Bobby Bonds, Richard Dotson and Thad Bosley.
Brian Downing caught for the Chicago White Sox, became an outfielder and designated hitter with the California Angels, and finished with the Texas Rangers, playing 20 major league seasons from 1973 to 1992. After being cut from his high school team, he signed as an amateur free agent in August 1969 following an all-comers White Sox tryout. On the first pitch of his first big-league inning he wrecked his knee on a diving catch and landed on the 60-day disabled list. A trade to the Angels turned his career: after a winter of weight training and a changed batting stance he broke through in 1979. A broken ankle in 1980 moved him to the outfield, where he later set American League records for errorless games and for chances in an errorless season. He hit 20 or more home runs in six of seven seasons from 1982 to 1988, led the league with 106 walks in 1987, and retired with 2,099 hits, 275 home runs and 1,073 RBI. He was inducted into the California Angels Hall of Fame in 2009.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 54 | 3 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #418 Chicago White Sox Team
More Chicago White Sox cards:
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- #29 Bucky Dent
- #58 Chet Lemon
- #83 Kevin Bell
- #109 Jorge Orta
- #133 Ralph Garr
- #157 Ken Brett
- #177 Bart Johnson
- #198 Wilbur Wood
- #222 Francisco Barrios
- #232 Minnie Minoso
- #247 Chris Knapp
- #271 Terry Forster
- #273 Eric Soderholm
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #344 card?
It is card #344 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Brian Downing of the Chicago White Sox.
How many cards are in the 1977 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and distributed as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.